Lying on a massage table at a spa in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Feri Tilukay closed his eyes and smiled blissfully as three enormous snakes slithered all over him. He is one of a small band of customers brave enough to try the "snake massage", where the gentle hands of a professionally trained masseuse are swapped for the cold, scaly skin of six-foot (1.8-metre) pythons.

I feel bad for the snakes. It seems like it would be stressful to them, especially with their mouths taped closed. I'm also not sure how a snake could massage you. If this is only to help with a fear of snakes, I can think of ways that would seem to be less stressful to the snake. Considering the other services that they mentioned, I think that I'm thinking about this more than the salon owners

I feel bad for the snakes. It seems like it would be stressful to them, especially with their mouths taped closed. I'm also not sure how a snake could massage you. If this is only to help with a fear of snakes, I can think of ways that would seem to be less stressful to the snake. Considering the other services that they mentioned, I think that I'm thinking about this more than the salon owners

The snakes are probably not fussed, except about the mouth thing (I think broad rubber bands would be more humane, actually, to avoid the glue and pulling off scales, but you have to be concerned about having a band tight, too). They probably like soaking in the body heat of the person they are placed on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GenYus234

Is this like how electricity used to be used to cure things like pain? The electricity is so painful that you feel better when it stops?

After the 3-snake massage, you can go for the 1000-spider acupressure session.

The snakes might enjoy it if they were allowed to just lie there and bask on a nice warm human tummy. But if they have to put up with their handlers poking them all the time to keep them moving, then that's just mean. As for the client, sounds like he's out forty-three bucks.

It says they are taken out of plastic boxes so they probably don't have much heat if any as heaters could be a fire hazard with plastic. Then they are cleaned with antiseptic. If that is rubbing alcohol, then the evaporation would tend to make their skins even colder than before.

They will be distressed by having their mouths taped shut. They'll probably still be able to "taste" with their tongues, as long as they're not taped too tightly closed, but it'll almost certainly be interfering withthe heat sensory organs, which are located along the upper jaw. There's just no need to tape a snake's jaws together as long as it's adequately fed. And yes, removing the tape will almost certainly pull scales off.

Snakes aren't gregarious creatures, so putting a load of them together is not a good idea, and pythons aren't particularly active either; prodding them to keep them moving goes against their preferred lifestyle of curling up in a nice quiet hole until something tasty wanders past.

Six feet is not enormous. That's on the average side for royal pythons at least. If you want enormous, go for a Burmese or a Reticulated.

Don't let them near your neck like that either.

They do feel nice when they move across your skin, but it's nothing like a massage and there's absolutely no benefit that I can see, except £££ (insert Indonesian equivalent) from the gimmick. Poor snakies.

It says they are taken out of plastic boxes so they probably don't have much heat if any as heaters could be a fire hazard with plastic. Then they are cleaned with antiseptic. If that is rubbing alcohol, then the evaporation would tend to make their skins even colder than before.

I keep my snakes in plastic boxes. Pythons only need a warm end of about 30C; a thermostat and decent thermometer ensure no problems there.